Lucien's POV
Shit — I barely escaped them.
My breath came in ragged bursts as I flew through the cold night air, wings aching like they'd been set on fire. I'd been flying since morning — now it was night, and the sky was drowning in black.
Everything burned. My wings — my lungs.
But I couldn't stop.
Not yet.
I had to make it before they took Clara.
I had to reach the castle.
Without her, I can't go back. Without her — everything I did, every damn lie, every drop of blood — it'll all mean nothing.
If they get to her first
No. I won't let that happen.
Clara's POV
Ciel led me gently toward the center of the ballroom.
"Come, my love," he said with that disarming smile — sweet, warm, and confident, as if none of this felt strange to him. As if this was just another royal gathering, and not a moment wrapped in thorns and silence.
